--- title: "Apple Lays Off 200 Workers From Secretive Self-Driving Car Project" description: "Apple just laid off more than 200 employees from its secretive self-driving car project Project Titan, according to CNBC." date: "2019-01-25" modified: "2019-01-25" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/apple-project-titan-employees-self-driving-car" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Self-Driving Vehicles" tags: - "apple" - "autonomous car" - "self driving car" --- # Apple Lays Off 200 Workers From Secretive Self-Driving Car Project ![Apple just laid off more than 200 employees from its secretive self-driving car project Project Titan, according to CNBC.]() *\Image: Tayeb Mezahdia/Tag Hartman-Simkins\* ## Project Titan Things are not looking good for Apple's Project Titan, the company's mysterious autonomous car division. Sources with knowledge of the program [told *CNBC*]() that Apple dismissed "just over 200 employees this week" from the project. An unconfirmed number of them will be moved to other projects including "machine learning and other initiatives across all of Apple," a spokesperson told *CNBC*. ## Top Secret Apple has managed to keep the project almost entirely under wraps. Back in October 2017, we got a glimpse of Project Titan's self-driving test car, which had an [impressive array of sensors]() attached to its roof. In March 2018, Apple decided to [nearly double]() its fleet of self-driving cars. We also heard of Apple amassing a talented team of engineers for the project, including [Doug Field](), Tesla's former engineering vice president. As of today, Field and Apple veteran Bob Mansfield will take over the reigns of Project Titan, according to *CNBC*. ## Strength and Weakness Needless to say, Apple's interest in self-driving car technology appears to be waning. But the project isn't quite dead yet. The competition is steep, and even the most successful players in the game such as Alphabet's Waymo are only [starting]() to bring the technology to the masses. Apple knows how to play to its strengths — and they arguably have only little to do with the automotive industry. **READ MORE:** [Apple just dismissed more than 200 employees from Project Titan, its autonomous vehicle group]() \[*CNBC*\] ***More on self-driving cars: [Exclusive: A Waymo One Rider’s Experiences Highlight Autonomous Rideshare’s Shortcomings]()*** ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()